Good Vibes from the Hewlett OER Grantees Meeting - April 2010

[rod kirk]

The Hewlett Foundation OER Grantees Meeting was held on April 16, 2010 at Yale University. Hal Plotkin, Senior Policy Advisor to Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter in the United States Department of Education, was a key speaker at this event. Looks like some very positive actions supportive of continuing the advancement of Open Textbooks and OER came about.

Some of the take-aways from the meeting....

• The Obama administration will engage the Hewlett Foundation as an advisor on US Department of Education grant programs moving forward.
• The Hewlett Foundation, which has been a significant funder of open education, has agreed to provide advice and share information with the Education Department.
• Focus on efforts and agendas in both areas of K-12/Community Colleges and Higher Education.
• The development of curriculum, tools, and training is key on the agenda. (This will be very supportive of Open Textbooks going forward.)

Additional details on what was talked about can be found on the OCW Blog as well as from a press release from the Hewlett Foundation. Judy Baker, dean of Foothill Global Access at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, Ca., attended the meeting and I am sure will be able to provide additional highlites of the event.